'Family Guy' abortion episode details

[Spoiler] The controversial "Family Guy" abortion episode that Fox has declined to air next season features matriarch Lois Griffin acting as a surrogate mother for an infertile couple. The couple is then killed in a car crash, leaving Lois with a tough decision.

The episode (titled "Partial Terms of Endearment") is "very graphic, very morbid," sources say, particularly about the abortion process.

The episode was originally supposed to conclude on a vague note, with Lois' verdict left unclear. But creator Seth MacFarlane added a coda at the very end, with Lois' husband Peter poking his head into the frame to tell viewers, "She had the abortion."

At Fox's press day in Pasadena, entertainment president Kevin Reilly said the decision not to air the episode was driven by potential advertiser concerns.

"We don't censor Seth," he said. "It was a business decision. It was fragile subject matter at a sensitive time."

Asked what specifically about the episode was problematic, Reilly said there were a couple scenes in the episode that Fox suggested doing one way and MacFarlane opted for another.

"At that moment in time, there was a tough conversation gong on with clients, and we didn't need the headache," he said.

At press tour, MacFarlane and the cast of upcoming "Family Guy" spinoff series "Cleveland Show" did a table read of an episode. MacFarlane revealed that there will be a crossover episode next spring when characters from "Cleveland" return to "Family Guy."

After the table read, MacFarlane (who, truth be told, has a very agreeable relationship with the network) said that Reilly's decision was fine with him.

"I'm in a position with Fox where I'm having sort of a golden age," he said, "I trust [Reilly's] decision implicitly."